SEARCHES (The Gilmore Car Museum and The National Museum of African American History and Culture)

The GILMORE CAR MUSEUM is in search of an original Green Book for an upcoming exhibit.
The Negro Motorist Green Book, later known as The Negro Travelers’ Green Book,
or more commonly, The Green Book, was used by African American travelers from
the 30s through the early 60s as a guide to establishments across the U.S.
(and eventually North America) that welcomed blacks.

FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is
pleased to announce a new opportunity available on our website for those
interested in family history or genealogy.

The NMAAHC, FamilySearch, and the National Archives have joined forces to
create an online, searchable database of former enslaved persons whose names
appear in the Freedmen’s Bureau Records between 1865—1872. We are seeking
volunteer help indexing the records that will form the bulk of this database.

Indexing is the process of entering information from historical records
into an online, searchable database. Volunteers will be indexing names and
other information from the handwritten records of the Freedmen's Bureau.
This database will eventually be made available for free to the public on
the NMAAHC's website, as well the FamilySearch and National Archives websites.

At the moment, no indexes of the names of freed slaves are available for
researchers to navigate the vast array of available documents. Volunteer
help indexing these materials will be invaluable to scholars and genealogists.

Visit our website to learn more about this exciting opportunity to contribute
to the new museum in a significant way and build a body of knowledge about
African American Family History.

Upcoming Civil War Exhibit
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is searching for photographs of African American
civil war soldiers from southwest Michigan in uniform for an upcoming exhibit.
The photos will be scanned and returned to you immediately.
If you'd like to have your family treasure included, contact Paula Metzner
at the Museum at 269-373-7958.

Mission
The mission of the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society is to nurture
respect, appreciation, and study of the African American heritage and contributions
to Southwest Michigan history. This new mission statement encompasses the concept
of racial equity and our commitment to continue work we began as a part of the
RACE Exhibit Initiative of Southwest Michigan.

Vision
Everyone in southwest Michigan values the heritage and history of African
Americans in our region.

Statement of Purpose
We serve and empower residents of southwest Michigan to appreciate
the heritage and history of African Americans in our region as a meaningful
part of their contemporary lives.

We aspire to be the premiere resource that illuminates and connects
the past, present, and future of African Americans in southwest Michigan.

We recognize the opportunities that our varied audiences present
and the challenges we have to communicate the stories of African
American heritage in ways that engage and have meaning for each
learning style, each age group, and each personal history.

We realize the need to communicate the stories of the African
American people from pioneer settlers to present-day residents as they
are related to each other and even to history as yet unmade.

We understand that the material in the Society's archives have
intrinsic value beyond their connections to our ancestors.

We accept our responsibility to current and future generations to
curate those archival objects we accept, and to accept only those objects
we can curate appropriately.